Journal (14th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: Sunny.  The wee bit of snow we got is almost melted, and it is actually pretty mild out.  It is supposed to get colder than cold around Christmas though.

Clothing myself in: Sweats, tank, sweatshirt.  Really that is about the only thing I wear during winter unless we're leaving the house, and then the only thing that changes is jeans instead of sweats.  I am beyond help.  I do dress up for Mass though, I just never happen to blog on Sunday mornings. 

Around the house: Cleaned (vacuumed and dusted) the basement.  Even though I have a regular rotation for cleaning chores, I usually only clean the basement once a month (or more likely every 6 weeks).  I also took some extra time with my kitchen cleaning today, and we cleaned the deck doors, which were quite nasty after wind and not enough moisture.  And fingerprints, and face marks, etc. etc. etc. 

 

The baby: He's sooooo cute.  Have I mentioned that?  Some days I feel like he is my little slice of sanity in our crazy house.  He is quite the napper, some days he will nap for close to a four-hour stretch in the morning.  He's gotten pretty regular with his sleep, with a nap in the morning and one in the afternoon and is fairly predictable about his bedtime (depending on how late his last nap is).  Nights are a little much less predictable.  Some nights he only nurses 2-3 times.  Other most nights I lose count.  Co-sleeping keeps me sane and (mostly) rested though so I can't complain, but boy can he be the milk-monster (that's what I call him on his particularly "nursey" nights).  I really shouldn't knock it though, he is such an easy baby during the day, and honestly I look forward to his nighttime snuggles (for the most part). 

 

The kiddos:  Gemma and Kolbe have started going out to play in the (gated and locked) backyard by themselves in the afternoons and this has been a new-found joy for all of us.  They've actually been doing this since late summer, but I am grateful they will still go out on the colder days, bundled up in coats and such.  It is so nice to be able to send them out...good for the mental health of everyone in the house, especially in that 3:30-5:30 PM time range.

Gemma has developed a recent attachment to "Baby Lamb", a stuffed lamb that Clem got from my aunt when he was born.  She is very affectionate and loving with it, errr "her."  She is constantly putting her down for a nap, doctoring her, or pretending she was just born and I have to come visit them at the hospital (Gemma's bedroom).  She also has to sleep with Baby Lamb every night.  It's cute and sweet.

Kolbe has recently discovered his spit and is quite fascinated by it.  He doesn't actually spit (yet) thankfully, but he likes to blow bubbles and do other gross things that I don't feel like talking about with it.  Ugh.  Boys.  I guess I better get used to it.  ;-D Kolbe is typically pretty indifferent about reading stories, but he has requested this one incessantly this week. 

In the kitchen:  Christmas feasting mainly.  Hubby is making sushi to take to his parents' on Christmas eve.  I'm planning on making some Mexican Chili on Wednesday as our friend Fr. Nick will be joining us for dinner.  Just kind of leaving the rest of the week up in the air.

Crafting:  We finished the salt-dough ornaments and their gift-bags this week (picture below, don't look if you want to be surprised ;-D)!!!

Learning: See "crafting", this has been our main project this week along with our regular Advent chain daily activities.  Still hitting reading lessons here and there with Gemma.  Once the new year rolls around (and we get past birthdays too) we'll get back to more regular reading and handwriting lessons, etc.  I sure have enjoyed our Advent though, it's been good.

Reading: We finished Little House on the Prairie today.  I actually found myself crying as the family packed up and left the little house.  And I don't even have pregnancy hormones to blame that one on.  I also found it rather difficult to explain to Gemma the conflict between the Indians and the white people (she had some questions), and to be completely honest it really gave me a lot to think about myself.  I hadn't remembered that being such a prominent part of the story (and I probably read that series a good 8-10 times as a child), I guess we perceive things differently as kids.  We're going to skip Farmer Boy (I think that will be a good one for my boys here in a few years) and begin On the Banks of Plum Creek next.

Bringing me joy: Texting with my sister.  Reading with the kids.  Advent.  Classical Christmas music all day every day this week on NPR.  The O Antiphons.  Anticipating Christmas.  Taking the kids to visit our friend Bertie in the nursing home.  Classical Christmas music all day every day this week on NPR.  Time with Aaron in the evenings after the kids are in bed.  Oh, and the Christmas music on NPR.

Thinking about: Salvation History.  Looking forward to reading this book in more depth.  There's so much I feel like I don't understand about humanity in general I guess.  "Lord I believe, help my unbelief." 

Pictures to share: 

Snowy day (their awesome daddy took them out to play)!

Gemma and Kolbe after making popcorn ball snowmen with our sweet neighbor Miss Jo.

 
This year's ornaments!!

Clem riding around with Daddy (I love Kolbe peeking out of the bathtub in the background).

CHEESE!

Journal (13th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: Sunny and warm (for December).  It rained last night!  But there were only 2/10ths in the rain gauge this morning.  I suppose I should be grateful that we got any, but oh I was wishing for a gully-washer.

Clothing myself in: The usual.

Around the house:  Got lots of gift-wrapping done this past week.  Continually sorting through items and trying to live more simply with what we truly need and not so much extra "stuff".  That being said, I have some bumGenius 4.0 diapers with inserts, some 3.0 size large all-in-ones, some overnight doublers and some Thirsties size medium covers I am looking to sell if anyone is interested. Condition is used but still good.  Plain and simple, I just bought more than we needed.  Price is negotiable, I would just be happy for them to get some use. 

 

The baby: Oh goodness, he's so cute.  He's rolling and squirming all over now and starting to notice and be intrigued by toys.  He finds Gemma and Kolbe to be highly amusing.  I often wonder how Gemma ever got entertained...I don't know what Clem would do without his older siblings' antics, I am amazed (and grateful) at how entertained they can keep him for quite the long stretches at times.  Aaron has commented on how interactive he is getting, and I am glad to see Clem and daddy finally getting some special time together.  Those first 5-6 months are definitely all about mama, and while I treasure that time and am sad to see it go, I can't dwell on or live in the past so it is fun embracing this new phase of his babyhood.   

 

The kiddos: Gemma is sooooo into making pictures (and other homemade craft items...kites, crowns, frames, etc. etc. etc.) for people.  Oh my heavens we have piles and piles of envelopes and other odds and ends to take to people every time we go somewhere.  Seriously, she will spend an entire morning (and I am not exaggerating) making pictures for people, putting them in envelopes, and writing their names on them.  I don't want to hurt her feelings and just throw them away, (although sometimes I do without her seeing...and half the time she finds me out!) but by the same token I'm just not always sure what to do with the massive amount of things she makes for people (namely family and neighbors)...

In the kitchen:  Baked Ziti; Smoked Gouda and Spinach Chikcen (recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook); Mexican Chili; Chile Rellenos; hoping to make some peppermint bark today if I can find some candy canes with natural (or no) color, as Kolbe seems to have a food-dye sensitivity. 

Crafting:  Finished Kolbe's Christmas blanket, it turned out really great!  I have a lot of other ideas in my head, namely they involve the sewing machine.  I hope to tackle them within the decade.  We made these napkin poinsettias (after reading this book) for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  They were really easy and fun, Gemma could almost do them on her own.  We have started the salt dough ornaments!!  Waiting for them to cure so we can begin painting.  (Oh shudder...children + non-washable paint is sometimes a bit more stress than I can endure.  We don't do any serious cookie baking around here for the holidays though so I figure this is a good enough alternative).

Learning: See above.  Mainly Advent activities.  Spending some time on Scripture/Salvation History with our Jesse tree readings has been good.  Really liking the Advent chain.  

Bringing me joy:  Hearing Gemma sing at Mass.  Stopping by Church this week and hearing Gregorian Chant playing over the sound system in the Church and gathering space...totally totally made my day, maybe my week.  Hearing Clem laugh.  Kolbe talking.  Seeing the kids (especially Kolbe) get sooo excited about seeing Christmas lights.  Colombian coffee.  We had been on a week or two kick of "coffee surprise" (meaning, dump all the random coffees leftover in the cabinet together and muscle through them each morning).  Oh how grateful I was for a cup of straight Colombian when that was over.  The sweet stories in this book.  My family, plain and simple. 

Thinking about: Parenting...this post really got me thinking.

Pictures to share: 

He's getting sooooo big.

Cottage Meat Loaf

This is the meatloaf recipe I mentioned in my last Journal post.  It's so easy and very, very tasty.

In order to give credit where credit is due, the copy of the recipe (I got it from my neighbor Sharon) says "Great American Recipes".  (Italics are my additions.)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (you could also use venison/pork)  **
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/3 cup tomato juice (I use a small can of tomato sauce)
1/2 tsp. each of salt and black pepper
1/8 tsp. red pepper
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (I use ground whole organic oats and a bit of ground flaxseed instead of the breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup finely chopped onions (I will shamelessly admit to using the dried, jarred version for this.  If I used real onions I would saute them before putting them in the meatloaf.)
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Topping:
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp. prepared mushroom mustard (thanks Mary!)
2 tsp. brown sugar.

METHOD

1. In large bowl, combine ketchup, tomato juice, salt, peppers, eggs, bread crumbs (oats, etc.), onions and mustard.  Mix until thoroughly blended.
2. Add ground beef.  Mix gently but thoroughly.
3. Press into a 9x13 pan
4. In a separate bowl combine the topping ingredients, mixing well.  Spread topping over meatloaf.
5. Bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes until done.

We like to serve this with mashed cauliflower and potatoes and green beans or this tasty salad. 

**I typically use closer to 1lb of hamburger, and then scale the rest of the ingredients back accordingly.  Or I forget to scale them back and the whole thing tastes a little funny...

Journal (12th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: Sunny.  Cold.  Supposed to be mild(er) today, and then get cold (relatively speaking) tomorrow and into the first part of the week.

Clothing myself in: Aw, do I HAVE to??  Grey sweats, tank and navy sweatshirt that is too big but I wear it because it is comfortable even though I don't particularly like how it looks.  Yes, this is my life.  And I'm getting a cold sore.  Bummer.  It has been a long time since I've had one, I mainly have them under control it seems through diet/supplements, but alas...  Bleh.

Around the house:  Christmas decos are mainly up.  Advent has been nice so far. Trying to just slow things down and focus on what's important.  "People before things," in the wise words of my spiritual director.  As easy as this sounds, it's not always.  Trying though, and Advent has provided a great time and motivation to really focus on this.

In the past few weeks I successfully completed the mail merge and printed envelopes with addresses and return addresses for our Christmas letter (this is always a miracle in and of itself, I only do a mail merge once a year and I never quite remember how...pins and needles until it's actually done).  THEN, I finally decided to buckle down and write the letter.  Starting out is always the hardest part.  Once I did that it took about 10 minutes, a day to sit on it and tweak, printed it.  Got the pictures ordered with a really good deal from Shutterfly.  Got some professionals done of the kids (now I'm out of order on when I did all this, but I'm too lazy to go back and correct myself).  Folded, stuffed, stamped, SENT!!!  Whew.  Don't ask how many.  (115).  Seriously, I have tried to cut our list and I just can't.  Do I have a problem?

Hoping to tackle gift wrapping this coming week.  Done with shopping for the most part.  

Wow, that was all very random.  Sorry.

 

The baby: Is rolling now.  He had been going back to front for a few weeks (although I just actually SAW him do it for the first time earlier this week).  Just this morning he figured out the front to back thing.  Now I have to watch where I leave him!!  And the floor is just such a safe spot with an almost five and almost three year old in the house.  OH dear...

 

The kiddos:  

I'll start with Kolbe...HE DID IT!!!!!  I am ready to call "The Great Potty Adventure of 2012" a SUCCESS!!!  We haven't had any accidents for over a week, and only a few "false starts".  AND, I don't have to remind him to go.  He heads into the bathroom and does his business all on his own without being told.  YAY!!!!!!!!!!  He is still in diapers at night, and I've a feeling he probably will be for awhile, but by golly we've got days down!!  The big success was celebrated with a package of "Thomas" underpants from St. Nicholas.  

Yes, St. Nicholas.  He visited this week bearing adorable chocolate Santas, holiday t-shirts for the kids, some Xylitol gum, hair-things for Gemma, patron saint prayer cards and the aforementioned undies.  As tradition holds we read this book, and the kids watched the CCC St. Nicholas story (I DVRd it from EWTN) several times in the past few days.  Gemma was so excited for his arrival (and Kolbe too by default) that she wanted to put her shoes on the fireplace first thing the morning of the 5th.  I had to remind her she would actually need to WEAR them that day, and she could put them out at night before bed and it would be fine.  It's fun seeing the kids look forward to these traditions in our family.    

In the kitchen:  Chicken Linguine, Meatloaf (I really should blog the recipe, my neighbor brought it to us after Clem was born and it was awesome.  It's my new favorite meatloaf recipe), TACOS for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, maybe Salmon Noodles (from my Betty Crocker cook book), but I may change my mind by Friday on that one.  As of now I'm not feelin' it, but that's what the "menu" says....  I'd also like to make some parsley pesto (loosely following this recipe), a neighbor (different one) brought us some parsley from her garden and I've found this to be a great thing to have in the fridge.  And while I like basil pesto better, the parsley stuff is definitely more versatile.   

Crafting:  My kind neighbor (another one yet...we have the greatest neighbors) is letting me use her serger to finish the edges of a blanket that Kolbe will be getting for Christmas.  I tried it out the other night on some scraps, and plan to take the actual blanket over to finish some night next week.  It is fleece that I got on a SUPER good deal on Black Friday.  So excited about this!!!  I have some other sewing ideas bouncing around in my head, we'll see how soon they come to fruition. 

Learning:  Mainly Advent activities.  We're using this Jesse Tree book as part of our morning prayers, and while we're not actually doing a Jesse Tree, I printed these coloring pages out and Gemma is coloring them to hang on the cabinet as we go.  It has been a really good opportunity to immerse the kids in Scripture a bit more (we're also reading the stories from our Children's Bible) and talk specifically about Salvation History and God's covenants with His people.  Still plugging away with reading lessons.  Gemma is making some great progress.  This week we will start working on our Salt Dough Ornaments.  We will. 

Reading:  I recently finished Unplanned.  The story itself was really remarkable.  I think the thing that resonated with me most though was its testimony to the power of prayer.  Very powerful.  

Bringing me joy: A clean oven, thank you MOM.  Yes, I have the coolest mom ever.  She totally cleaned my nasty-gross-gnarly-I'membarassedthatsheevenlookedinit-oven for me and it looks AMAZING.  It was a complete surprise too.  Long story but I went to put a lasagna in the oven for dinner on Monday and had to do a double-triple take.  I thought I had somehow been crazily transported to a mystical world where they have clean ovens. 

Some time away with the baby and hubby.  Aaron had some continuing ed about 3hrs away from home last Fri./Sat.  And my dear parents (yes, the same ones who cleaned my oven) took care of Gemma and Kolbe while we were gone.  It was their first night away from home (aside from when Clem was born) so it was kind of a big deal.  They had fun, my parents had fun, and the baby and I got some uninterrupted shopping time in the "big city" while daddy was in class.  Plus getting to visit with Aaron uninterrupted in the car was kind of amazing.  AND we went on a date to a restaurant where someone else cooked and cleaned up after the meal, AND they had live jazz music.  Who knew such things existed?! (haha)   It was relaxing, but as cliche as it sounds there really is no place like home.  

Advent.

My squishy baby.

Kids who play well together (no, it's not always this way, but boy when they do it is WONDROUS).

The music on this CD.

Thinking about: How long this post is.  Congrats if you made it to the end!!!  Any thought that I've had of late is probably summed up in the above paragraphs, so I'll spare you any more insights into my wacky head. 

Pictures to share: 

The kids in their St. Nick shirts.

 Clem.  Always amused by his older siblings.

Kolbe drew a person!!!

We did a "photo-shoot" with Max the dog one day when we were playing out at the park. 

Advent 2012

Below you will find a list of our 2012 Advent Picture-Book-a-Day selections (listed in order starting with 12/2...many of them correlate with feasts and such)...some new ones and some favorites!  It is getting more fun (and more difficult at the same time) to narrow these books down each year.

Click HERE for reviews of our 2011 books. 

We will also be reading a selection from Advent Storybook each night before bed.   

We will read a daily meditation from O Radiant Dawn as a family each night at dinnertime (I have very high hopes for this book).  I plan to use selections from Celebrating Christmas and Celebrating Advent with the Jesse Tree (even though we aren't actually doing a Jesse Tree) for morning prayers with the kids, plus some extra resources for the Advent Feasts.

We also have our Advent Chain that I ordered from Autom this year to count down the days to Christmas.  I read through the activities on each link as I was putting it together last night and was very pleased...most of them we will be able to do.  This accidental find totally exceeded my expectations.  I hope they offer these every year.

Looking forward to a peaceful, prayerful Advent.  

B is for Bethlehem
Christmas in the Barn
The Friendly Beasts
Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
A Special Place for Santa
Great Joy
Mary
Under the Star: A Christmas Counting Story
Cock-a-Doodle Christmas!
The Legend of the Poinsettia
The Lady of Guadalupe
A Christmas Story
Bear Stays Up for Christmas
Usborne The Story of the Nativity
Christmas in the Big Woods
Off to Bethlehem
Silent Night: The Song and its Story
On This Special Night
Saint Francis and the Christmas Donkey
Four Friends at Christmas
Room for a Little One
The Little Drummer Boy
The Christmas Story (Little Golden Book)

Journal (11th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: Feels like late Fall.  A bit chilly but lovely really.  I am mourning the loss of the leaves from the trees until next Spring. Just not a huge fan of winter, for multitudinous reasons.  But alas, it is upon us.

Clothing myself in: Black sweats, one of these cami/tanks that are oh so comfy and great for nursing, and a college sweatshirt.  Comfy.

Around the house:  Thinking about Feast of St. Nicholas and Christmas gifts and have done a bit of shopping (online and in stores).  Keeping things very simple (especially with our children) this year.  Along that vein, anyone have any recommendations for a good wooden block set, preferably colored?  I'm looking at a few but wondered if anyone had a set they liked that they could recommend?

Started decorating for Christmas.  It seems so early, this early Thanksgiving really threw me for a loop.  On the brighter side, this gives us more time to enjoy our decorations.  I figure if I'm going to put forth the effort, then I want to be able to enjoy them for more than a week or two.

 

The baby: Has started sucking his thumb.  I am still unsure how I feel about this.  I had purposely not introduced a binkie with him.  Gemma and Kolbe both took binkies and getting rid of them was definitely a process.  Although probably easier than getting rid of a thumb.  But he will soothe himself with it sometimes which is super cool.  Like I said, I am not sure how to feel about a thumb-sucker.  I am trying not to encourage or discourage it, but have found myself doing both.  Mixed messages much?

 

The kiddos:  Recent conversations with the kids:

Gemma: Kolbe, what's your favorite animal?

Kolbe: BLUUUUUUUUE!!!!!

Gemma: NO! I said, animal!!

Kolbe: (in his typical monotone inflection) Oh. A'mal tatters. (animal crackers)

When we were talking about what we were thankful for I had to explain a little more to Kolbe just exactly what 'being thankful' meant, so I said, "thankful is something we are really glad that we have at our house...so Kolbe, that are you thankful for?"  To which he responded, "Oh. Ha'ween tandy." (Halloween Candy, for those of you who don't speak 'Kolbe')

He's a man of few words, but man does he crack me up sometimes.  ;-D

In the kitchen:  Chicken Alfredo; Meatloaf with Quinoa and Kale Salad; (extended) family birthday dinner.

Crafting:  I finished a HUGE amount of photo organization last weekend, namely getting all our albums caught up, labeled, organized etc., and also made up a book on Shutterfly that I will order in December when I have five years of monthly pictures.

Got some sports-ball print fleece at Joanns on Black Friday for a super good deal and am going to "make" a blanket for Kolbe's bed for him for Christmas.  And by "make", I believe I will wash it, cut it to the right length (I purposely bought too much, not wanting to have not enough) and call it good.  I am a little iffy about sewing on fleece as it stretches funny (in  my experience), and I don't want to do a tied one.  Since fleece doesn't fray I figure I'm good taking the lazy way out.  Any advice?

Working a lot lately on our Advent plans.  Hoping to blog about them soon.

Learning: We had fun with this handprint turkey craft this week.  Lots of cutting, and messy (but washable) paint.  But fun for sure.  Have I mentioned I am a sucker for handprint art?

Bringing me joy: Listening to Handel's "Messiah". Thanksgiving and time with family.  My hubby having some time off work.  The huge kick my kids get out of seeing Christmas lights, especially our neighbor's across the street.  Just the coming holiday season in general...seeing things through the joyous eyes of my children helps me stop and appreciate the simple things.  A working wash machine.  Preparing for Advent...hands-down my favorite liturgical season.  A sweet (professional) picture of our three. 

Thinking about: Christmas gifts.  Advent.  See above.

And our Christmas letter.  Anyone want to write it for me??

Pictures to share: 

My sister took a nice "up and down" photo of us on Thanksgiving, and then I said, "OK let's take one the other way," meaning landscape instead of portrait.  Aaron thought I meant he and I should switch places.  Hence the over-the-top cheesy weirdly posed picture.  Think I should frame it (haha)?  See the side bar for the "real" one.

Journal (10th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: It feels like Fall.  It's nice.  Highs in the 50s or 60s, lows in the 30s or 40s, slanty light, trees are past peak.  The kids played this afternoon at the park with one of the neighbor kids and we all had a nice time outdoors, albeit a bit chilly.

Clothing myself in: jammies

Around the house: I wiped the kitchen cabinets down with Murphy's Oil Soap today.  Good stuff, good stuff.  Takes away all the grime (we don't have cabinet pulls, so the wood gets really grimy) and leaves the house smelling so fresh.

 

The baby:  Is noticing his surroundings so much more.  He is starting to take an interest in toys and rattles and such, and loves sitting in the bouncy chair and "playing" with the big kids.  He is so entertained by them, it's wonderful.  Even though most some days I feel like I am losing my mind, I feel like I've really hit my groove with three. 

 

The kiddos:  Aaron set up the train set for the kids (they got it for Christmas last year and I packed it away because it kind of drove me crazy).  They are much better ages for it now and have been having a lot of fun with it.

Kolbe....I think we have FINALLY turned the corner with this potty process.  I started putting him in regular underwear (not training pants, not pull-ups) this week around the house (no pants, just underwear)....and he GOT it!!!  Several days now he has had no accidents, AND he's been telling me when he has to go, going back to the potty, pulling his undies down and doing his business all on his own.  I'm not calling it yet, but we are soooooo close.  YAY!!!!!!  And while I'm talking about Kolbe, he is so funny, he wakes up at LEAST once during the night hollering for his "tudders" (covers).  He kicks them off and is somehow incapable of re-"tuddering" himself so he just yells "tudders mammy, tudders mammy" until I come in, and after I cover him he says "shanks mommy" in this sleepy little grateful voice.  It would be kind of annoying if it weren't so darn cute.

Gemma has it in her head that a kitten is going to come to our house and knock on or meow at the door and she will rescue it and keep it as her pet in a cage that daddy will bring home from his office (??) and I will give her a milk bowl for it and we'll get the kitty milk from the store for it and she will take care of it and when it grows up to be a cat she will let it go and get a new kitten (kid you not, she said that).  She has been through her plan with me no less than 100 times.  I finally snapped and said (rather crossly), "GEMMA, we are NOT getting a kitten."  It didn't even phase her.  She has big plans, I tell you.

In the kitchen:  Lazy Sunday Casserole; Pizza with red sauce, meat, mushrooms and bell peppers; Thanksgiving feasting

Crafting:  I designed a little photo collage in powerpoint to have printed for our Christmas cards.  If anyone hears about Walgreens doing 4x6 free prints like they did last year around this time, please let me know!!  I am very pleased with how the collage turned out.

Learning: Read a handful of books about pilgrims and Indians this week and made paper plate pilgrims.  We mixed our own "face color" which was fun for the kids.  Also made these paper Indians with watercolors and crayons.

Bringing me joy: The thought of my hubby having some time off this coming week for the holiday.  He rarely has time off work, so when he is home from work on a regular work day it is a real treat!!!!

Thinking about: How far removed we are from the whole "first time parent" scene.  This is neither good nor bad, and I am by no means claiming to be any sort of expert when it comes to parenting.  It has just dawned on us of late that we're not really "newbies" anymore. 

Pictures to share: 

First fire of the year on a cold Sunday last week.  With hot chocolate and some stories, it was quite cozy.

Beef and Noodles

This is a stroganoff-type recipe I have morphed from several others.  I'm not sure what really defines a "stroganoff" per se, so we call it beef and noodles around here.  We really like it, it's definitely "family friendly," and it is a crock-pot meal so it's easy-peasy!

1-1.5 lbs beef (I use either a roast or sirloin tips), cubed to your size preference

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 carton baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup, or the homemade equivalent thereof (which is what we use)

pinch of salt

1 tsp of pepper

1-2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp or so flour

Stir items together well and cook on high in crock pot 1-2 hours and then low for another 2-4 hours.  

Stir in 1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream at end (some cream cheese is tasty too); thicken with more flour or a cornstarch paste if you desire.  

Stir in whole-wheat egg noodles and serve.

Steamed green beans are a great side to go with this dish!

Journal (9th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: Warm for November.  Very, very warm.

Clothing myself in: the usual.

Around the house: We turned the air conditioner on last night.  On November 9.  Yes, we had our last 80 degree day of the season yesterday...for like the 10th time.  Seriously.  As we were walking to the park in our short sleeves that I had to tackle the basement tubs to get for the kids, GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH, it dawned on me that I have gotten this wistful feeling of, "oh, this is the last time I'll take my babies to the park in warm weather until next spring," no less than five times in the past month.  Silly weather.

 

The baby: Had his 4 month well-child visit.  He weighed 13 lbs 14 oz., was 25.5 inches, and peed buckets all over the scale after they weighed him.

I switched him to disposables for nighttime and this has been a convenient good switch.  Still liking our cloth during the day.  A bunch. 

This morning I woke up around 5:30 to Aaron saying, "honey, why is the baby upside down?"  Sure enough, there he was, laying between us laughing and cooing with his feet kicking the headboard.  Still not quite sure how that happened.

 

The kiddos:  Bedtime has been pretty early this week as we adjust to the time-change.  The older two had been on a pretty good 8-8 schedule, but since the time change it's been more like 7:30-7:30 give or take, and I kind of like it and am tempted to keep it this way.  I'm not a huge fan of the earlier mornings, but the early bedtimes have been nice and once we're doing the school thing next year we're really not going to have a choice.  If we're out and about it's tough to get them in bed on time, but since we lead such exciting social lives it's not too much a problem.  I'm sure the coming holidays will throw us for a loop as usual, but alas...  Enough sleep talk.

Kolbe has been really into helping me lately.  Unloading the dishwasher, sorting laundry, putting laundry in/out of washer/dryer, folding laundry, dusting...whatever it is I am doing, he will leave his play and be right by my side like velcro, wanting to help.  It is cute sometimes, frustrating sometimes and helpful sometimes.  Oh that he would always be this eager to do chores. ;-)

In the kitchen:  Stuffed Green Peppers; Chicken Enchiladas; Shepherds Pie, inspired by my MIL and an episode of Symon's Suppers; Chile Rellenos

Crafting:  I have been working on pictures...I like to print about 20 or so a month to keep in albums for the kids to look at.  I was pretty well caught up before Clem was born, and I am ready to get caught back up.  I have everything from July-October printed (except for July), some are written on, they are each in their own envelope, just need to be put in order and in albums.  Hoping to tackle this sometime in November and be caught up, at least temporarily.  Also debating about what to use my free Shutterfly Photobook for. Hmmm.....

Learning: Worked on some turkey crafts from DLTK.  Gemma did especially well with the lowercase alphabet one that's three down from the top.  Both kids have recently gotten into the show Blue's Clues. 

Bringing me joy:  Fall walks wearing the baby and watching the kids on their trikes.  My family.  Time in the evenings with my hubby after the kids are in bed.  Watching the kids play together.  The simple things in life.

Thinking about: My life as a wife and mother.  It is something that brings me so much deep joy in my heart - maybe not always happiness per se - but true joy, that I really can't even put it into words.  The other day my friend Erin wrote this post, and it got me to thinking about my relationship with Aaron and how grateful I am for him, for us, for our family.  Then I read this post and as usual Simcha was spot-on.  There is so much craziness out there (and sometimes in our house!)...whether it's politics, extended-family drama, or any number of things, I am so glad that at the end of the day, each and every day, I am married to my best friend, and that in being married to him I am not only serving and loving him, but serving and loving Him.  Wow.  My life is nothing like what I thought it would be 10 years ago, and if things had gone according to "my plan", well, let's just say it's a good, amazing thing really that God is in control. 

Pictures to share: 

Kolbe picking Clem's nose for him.  Yep, that's how we roll folks.  At least he had the manners to use a tissue!

Mamas and babies...we were all pregnant at roughly the same time, and now four beautiful babes (3 boys and a girl)!  God is so good!!!

Litany of a child

Thanks to the persistent inspiration I've gotten from my friend Kansas Mom, I have finally added a litany to our morning prayers.  I really wasn't looking to add more to our morning prayers, but at this point in our lives morning prayer time is the most "relaxed" prayer time of the day (I am sure this will change next year with the advent of Kindergarten, but I am trying to make the most of it while I still can).  Our before meal prayers are basic, we usually only prayer after meals during Lent and Advent, and I will be completely honest, by the time bedtime prayers roll around I am just ready for everyone to be quiet and go to sleep, so the idea of adding something to them kind of sent me into a cold sweat. 

Anyways, we are reading about a Saint each day during morning prayers for the month of November so I decided to add a litany of saints after our prayers.  We each say our name saints, our parish patron, the saint we read, and any others Gemma (or Kolbe) think of.  Yesterday Gemma asked if she could pray for daddy's saint so I said, "sure go ahead".  In complete and utter prayerful seriousness she proceeded to say, "St. Honey -- pray for us".  I'm still smiling at that one.

Journal (8th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: I'm actually "cheating" and typing this on Friday night.  It's dark and the deck door is open with cool air coming in.  It's nice.  Last night Aaron and I sat out on the deck after the kids were in bed and drank hot tea and visited and it was just positively lovely.  It's so awesome being married to my best friend.

Clothing myself in:  New black yoga pants from Kohl's...I got them a couple weeks ago and realllllly like how they fit.  They are so comfy.  And a t-shirt because it got warm again.  Almost warm enough to dig the kids' warm-weather clothes back out but I refused.  Enough already, I am very tired of all this back and forth, although I really like the warmer weather, in fact I think I'm ready for spring...

Around the house:  Continually de-cluttering and going through things.  After three babies it is becoming apparent the items (clothing, blankets, towels, etc.) we need and the ones that are just extras, so I've been going through things and saving what we really use, or could need for future babies, and have several bags to donate to our favorite pro-life charity.  I've really been thinking about living "simply" lately and tryig to reflect this in what I deem our family "needs".

 

The kiddos:  Had such a fun Halloween!!  More on that HERE.  They (and Aaron and I too) seem to be fighting mild colds.  Bleh.

The baby: OH I love him.  He is so cute.  I could just gush about him, really.  Poor guy seems to have picked up the cold as well.  He is taking it in stride though, bless his heart.

In the kitchen:  Spaghetti, Honey Chicken and Tuna Melts are on the list so far.  Probably steamed veggies for sides, we are so boring and predictable around here when it comes to side dishes it really is pathetic.  But hey, it's healthy and easy.  We also have a bunch of leftover pork shoulder that we'll probably use in wraps and/or pork and noodles.

Crafting: Yes, you are reading this correctly.  I actually have something for this category!!!!  Last weekend I crafted an Advent wreath for our family. We like to light our Advent candles all three meals a day during the season, and in recent years this has caused us to go through an insane amount of taper-candles in a four-week period, not to mention the wax mess from over-zealous toddlers blowing them out.  So I took our old wreath and pulled the wire candle-holder deal in it out, hot-glued the wreath (greenery) and some pretty purple and pink embelishments to a charger plate and am awaiting our candle order to arrive (the candles will sit in the middle of the wreath).  This was the most reasonable place I could find unscented pink and purple candles.  Apparently they are hard to come-by locally (unscented ones anyways, and I did not want scented Advent candles).  The shipping was pretty steep on this website, but I was able to get three purple and one pink 3"x6" pillar candles for around $28 shipped.  Not too bad and I'm hoping they'll last us for several years.  Once the candles are in our wreath will be ready (a month early, but glad to have this ready to go never-the-less)!

Learning:  Did some Halloween worksheets and workbooks this week.  Reading lessons are coming along, we're doing about half a lesson a day now, and interspersing that with some Green Light readers from the library.  Gemma really enjoys those, so it seems we've hit a good groove after our bump in the road.  Handwriting is coming along, I'm anxious to finish the preschool book and get started with the Kdg one as Gemma is already writing lowecase letters on her own, and I want to make sure she is doing her letter formation correctly.  At the rate we're going though we still have several more months (at least) of the Get Set for School book.  Gemma still grips her pencil incorrectly (like mother like daughter I suppose) unless I remind her a million times.  I'm almost to the point of just letting it slide since it doesn't seem to bother her and she writes fairly well...

We had lots of fun talking about the Saints while doing this craft on All Saints Day.  For the month of November we'll read a saint story each morning during prayers from one of our Saint books.

Reading: I checked out The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila from the library but haven't started it yet so the jury is still out.  I am sure it's a wonderful work, we'll see if it's right for me here and now.

Bringing me joy: Seeing the kids (and their daddy) have so much fun on Halloween.  Having the saints to inspire us and intercede for us in Heaven.  Listening to the Daily Readings each day on my phone.  I haven't had much luck being disciplined enough to read them each day even though I get Magnificat, but listening to them seems to be a really good fit, usually as I'm preparing dinner.

Thinking about: Advent...I can't believe it's less than a month away now.  I've traditionally made a paper chain of "Advent actions" for the kids, but this year I am saving the trouble and ordering this one.  The price is good but you have to order 36.  I may will be hitting some of you up...  Let me know if you're interested (if I know you personally)!  I am selling them for $2.50 which is a bit more than retail ($1.60) and donating the extra money to our local Carmelites.  You can find more details on my Facebook page.

Pictures to share: 

Oh my sleeping boys.  I just can't quit taking pictures of them.